No Need for a Showdown
Tenchi, Azaka and Kamidake have finally made it to the Jurai Royal Palace, where Kagato and his prisoner Ayeka await. With the others still up in space facing off against the Jurai fleet, the trio have only themselves to rely on as they head for the final showdown. And whilst Azaka and Kamidake must face off against Kagato's dark knights, the hardest task of all awaits Tenchi himself. For only he is capable of defeating Kagato, but in order to do so, Tenchi must realize the as yet untapped potential of his own Jurai powers. Will Tenchi be able to emerge victorious in this, the final confrontation? Full Recap In the throne room of Jurai's Royal Palace, Kagato awaits the arrival of his latest guests- Tenchi, Azaka and Kamidake- with anticipation. He is confident that his dark powers will easily be a match for Tenchi, who has only just recently learned of his Juraian heritage, let alone tapped into it. Up in space, the battle against the Juraian space fleet continues, and surprisingly, Nagi has stuck around to help out. As she easily defeats wave after wave of Jurai ships, it is clear that she is more than worthy of her top reputation. Meanwhile, Tenchi, Azaka and Kamidake continue to make their way into the depths of the Jurai Royal Palace. Tenchi is surprised at the lack of guards, but Azaka remarks that this is standard practice. A typical Juraian emperor would need only his own Jurai powers, and the support of his loyal and powerful knights- a squadron of guards would be surplus to requirements. Having crowned himself emperor, Kagato has followed this practice, forsaking standard guards in favor of his own dark knights. As they continue on their way, Tenchi and the others encounter the first of these knights- Tetta, a warrior who resembles a dark version of Azaka. As Tetta moves to block their path, Azaka engages him in battle, telling the others to carry on. As the Juraian fleet continues its offensive, the gang decide that it is time to use some unorthodox methods. Using Washu's portal technology, they gain access to the inside of a Juraian space station, where they quickly take the crew prisoner. Opening a communications channel to the admiral of the fleet, Washu tells him to stand down- or she will be forced to infect the fleet with a special computer virus that will wipe out all their tactical data. Unwilling to negotiate, the admiral terminates the transmission and activates the self-destruct systems on the usurped satellite. The gang quickly depart via the portal- but not before Washu manages to download her virus into the fleet's computers! Facing off against Tetta, Azaka quickly discovers that his opponent is easily as powerful as he is- able to both deflect Azaka's attacks and launch devastating assaults of his own. Meanwhile, Tenchi and Kamidake continue on towards the throne room, only to run into Tessei, a knight who resembles a dark version of Kamidake. Turning to engage Tessei in battle, Kamidake instructs Tenchi to carry on- the throne room is just beyond. Just as Tetta appears to be a match for Azaka, so Tessei is for Kamidake- and what's more, since the two legendary knights were asleep for so long, they have no knowledge of the latest techniques. Tessei is quick to bring Kamidake up to date by launching a technique developed in more recent years- an unstoppable energy attack known as Jurai's Needle. Now alone, Tenchi finally makes it to the throne room, where Kagato awaits at the head of a tree-lined set of stairs- with the imprisoned Ayeka by his side. As Tenchi draws the Tenchi sword and creates its blue energy blade, Kagato summons his own dark weapon and invites Tenchi to try to kill him. Running up the stairs, Tenchi launches the first attack, only to find his blade blocked by an energy shield. The force of the impact throws Tenchi back down the stairs, where he collapses to the ground. His sword weak and flickering, Tenchi barely manages to get up before Kagato attacks again, launching an energy blast that sends Tenchi flying once again. Meanwhile, Azaka and Kamidake continue their battle against Tetta and Tessei, but having tested their opponents' power, they know that the dark knights cannot win- they lack the honour and chivalry that separates a mere fighter from a true knight. Breaking down Tetta's defenses with an energy attack, Azaka follows up with a finishing blow that spears through his opponent, vaporising the dark knight, but costing Azaka the last of his strength. Meanwhile, Kamidake and Tessei also launch their own final attacks against each other. A smug Tessei is sure that he has won when he sees how much energy Kamidake expended in the attack, only to realizes seconds later that his opponent actually managed to land a fatal blow. Screaming in anguish, Tessei falls to the ground. Seeing his opponent go down, Kamidake collapses as well. Having finally been shot down by the remaining Juraian warships, Yagami is well and truly out of the fight. Everything depends on Tenchi now- that is, if he can find the strength to get up after Kagato's last attack. Disgusted at his opponent's poor performance, Kagato prepares to deliver the finishing blow, only to be distracted when he senses a new power behind him. Determined not to see Tenchi get killed, Ayeka has tapped into her own Jurai powers. After freeing herself from her restraining force field, Ayeka attacks Kagato with an energy blast. After easily deflecting her blow, Kagato counterattacks, sending Ayeka flying. Turning away from Tenchi, Kagato teleports over to Ayeka, ready to destroy this new annoyance. Desperate to save Ayeka, Tenchi calls out in challenge, and the throne room itself seems to resonate with his newfound strength. The view around the trio shifts and changes, turning into a vision of the Earth in the autumn- the same unique beauty that Tenchi showed Ayeka when she first came to stay with him. The strength of Tenchi's combined Earth and Juraian heritage is the basis for his true power, and it is this strength that enables him to reform the blade of the Tenchi sword with a new strength and resolve. Tenchi has finally tapped into his amazing potential, and as the battle continues, it is clear that he and Kagato are now close to being evenly matched, each able to attack and parry with amazing speed. Finally, their blades come together in a blinding conflagration of energy as both pour all their energy into one mighty finishing blow. As the energy dissipates, both combatants are still standing, but Kagato knows that he has lost- just as he did to Yosho so many years ago. The last of his energy spent, Kagato collapses to the ground, finally defeated. As Tenchi wearily puts away his sword, Ayeka runs down the throne room stairs and into his arms, sobbing with relief. Supporting each other, Azaka and Kamidake approach them, both very much alive in spite of the punishment they took at the hands of Tetta and Tessei. The battle is finally over, and Jurai and Ayeka are safe once again- but one question remains. With his adventures having come to an end, just what is to become of Tenchi now?